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Bill Warner, 44, was clocked at 285 mph before he lost control, but it was unclear how fast the motorcycle was traveling when it veered off the paved runway, said Tim Kelly, race director for the Loring Timing Association, which hosted "The Maine Event" at Loring Air Force Base.

Warner was conscious and talking after the crash about 10 a.m., Kelly said. But he died about an hour later at Cary Medical Center in nearby Caribou, hospital officials said.

"No one will touch Bill's achievements or be the type of racer he was," he said. "He was a personal friend and the land-racing community is less for his loss."

Riding his modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa, Warner previously hit 311 mph on the same course in 2011, using 1.5 miles of pavement. That's considered to be the world land speed record for a conventional motorcycle, Kelly said.

This time, he was trying to hit 300 mph using just a mile of pavement, and he'd already made several passes.

Warner owned Warner Aquatic Resources, a tropical fish business in Wimauma. On his Facebook page, he wrote that he attended high school in Little Falls, N.Y., and that he moved to this area to attend the University of Tampa. He wrote that he studied marine biology and chemistry.

The Maine Event is an annual timed speed event that utilizes the 14,200-foot-long runway at the Strategic Air Command base that closed in 1994. The Loring Timing Association uses 2.5 miles of the runway, and there's an additional buffer of 2,000 feet, Kelly said.

On Sunday, about 400 spectators watched as Warner began veering right after passing the 1-mile mark, traveling upright for another 2,000 feet before crashing, Kelly said.

The remainder of Sunday's event was canceled. The Limestone Police Department and Maine State Police were investigating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Associated Press (2011)

Bill Warner of Wimauma lost control and crashed his motorcycle while trying to top 300 mph in a speed event in northern Maine.